German Tree Wows Visitors by Being Decorated With 9,800 Easter Eggs

April 11: Luna Lutz visits at a tree with 9,800 Easter eggs at the garden of pensionar couple Christa and Volker Kraft in Saalfeld, Germany.
(AP)

SAALFELD, Germany -- Volker Kraft's apple sapling sported just 18 eggs when he first decorated it for Easter in 1965. Decades later, the sturdy tree is festooned with 9,800 eggs, artfully decorated with everything from sequins to sea shells.

Decking trees with hollowed-out, painted eggs for Easter is popular in Germany, but the 75-year-old retiree's annual creation has become something special. Last year, it drew more than 13,000 visitors.

Kraft needs two weeks and countless trips up and down his ladder to hang the eggs and the task has become a little heavier each year since he began the decorations in 1965.